New therapeutic approaches developed for neurodegenerative diseases

The projects are being developed by members of the Kinesiology Research Institute of the Science and Research Centre Koper (ZRS Koper) as part of studies of brain responses during motion.

Special attention is paid to the comparison of brain responsiveness in healthy individuals and in people with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, or people who have suffered a stroke.

"In these diseases, there are often disruptions in the functioning of the brain, which is also reflected in movement and its effectiveness," researcher Uroš Marušič has told the STA.

In January, the institute completed the European project TwinBrain, which is headed by Marušič, as part of which the SloMoBIL laboratory for mobile brain and body imaging has been established.

There are currently only a few laboratories in the world with the capabilities comparable to SloMoBIL, which places Slovenia side-by-side with technologically highly developed countries such as Germany and the US.

Among pioneers in use of mobile brain imaging in people with Parkinson's disease

The SloMoBIL laboratory has enabled Manca Peskar, a researcher at the institute, to become one of the first researchers in the world to study, the use of mobile brain imaging in people with Parkinson's disease.

Preskar has told the STA that the method was developed only in 2010 due to technological limitations. "With the advance of wireless technology and algorithms, we can now use this method to closely monitor how the brain controls movement," she added.

According to Marušič, the method also provides an insight into how the brain functions in a real environment, which was not possible with previous laboratory methods, where subjects only imagined movement during magnetic resonance imaging.

"Such a laboratory environment did not adequately reflect real-life situations in which our brains are under the influence of various stimuli," he said.

For example, when a person crosses a road in rainy weather, the brain very successfully coordinates movement on a slippery surface, estimates the speed of an approaching car, even while this person might be having a phone conversation.

Studying brain activity to develop more effective therapies

In her research of why patients with Parkinson's disease have problems with movement and how they deal with it, Peskar introduced sitting, maintaining balance and the most everyday movement - walking.

She is interested primarily in how successfully patients can distribute their attention during these movements while performing a cognitive task, and whether there are any adaptations or changes in behaviour and brain activity.

Preskar explained that Parkinson's disease is reflected in pathologically elevated, fast neural oscillations during the planning and execution of movement. The activity of these oscillations, which are important for coordinating movement and maintaining muscle control, is disrupted.

Their excessive activity in patients causes inhibition of movement and makes it difficult to perform tasks that involve both movement and mental focus.

Using the example of walking, the laboratory has demonstrated that these disruptions are particularly pronounced in certain phases of movement, specifically during weight transfer from one leg to the other, which requires greater coordination, but not in the intermediate phase, when the subjects were standing on one leg.

"This implies that there are moments when patients are less sensitive to certain stimuli. These findings could be used to develop targeted therapies that would help patients move more effectively and perform concurrent cognitive tasks," Peskar said.

The plan is to develop a method that would enable a rapid risk prediction for Parkinson's disease and enable action to be taken to slow down its progression.

Putting findings into practice

The ZRS Koper researchers want their research to be put into practice, so they recently launched the follow-up project called TBrainBoost, which connects researchers, industry and start-ups to find opportunities to develop useful solutions.

The laboratory is already providing different forms of assistance to Parkinson's disease and stroke patients, adapting the exercise programme to their specific needs, said Marušič.

"Our long-term goal is to provide sustainable support that will improve the quality of life for these individuals," he added.

In January 2025, they will also launch the NeuroDance project, as part of which they will develop a special dance programme adapted to people with Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

As Peskar explained, dance not only stimulates motor skills, develops coordination and improves physical fitness, but it also improves general well-being by strengthening the cognitive system and encouraging socialisation.

Dance workshops will be held in several Slovenian cities over the next three years to make the programme accessible to the widest people circle of people.